Video: Why breaking up is not so hard to do

posted at 2:41 pm on September 6, 2012 by Ed Morrissey

The RNC has a new ad out now that follows up one of the most prominent themes from last week’s Republican convention with a new 30-second TV spot aimed at former Obama voters. Titled “The Breakup,” the ad features one of my good friends, Bettina Inclan, who works for the RNC on Hispanic outreach. I’ve known Bettina for years, and believe me, when she tells you, “It’s not me … it’s you,” it really is you (via ConservativeByte):

This is the extension of the less-satirical effort at the Republican convention to reach out to former Obama voters. The tight message discipline produced a series of softer pitches aimed at voters in the center, offering understanding about how Barack Obama may have inspired them in 2008 and promised them a new direction for America and its politics. The pitch (and the message discipline) produced a reasonable tone and approach, one that tended to ask for unity rather than make a strident base-appeal pitch. Some conservatives felt disappointed at the lack of red-meat rhetoric aimed at Obama, but the strategy was deliberate.

In contrast, the first two nights of the Democratic Convention continually featured strident speeches delivered at the shout level. Despite the relatively cozy venue, speaker after speaker in the last two nights felt the need to yell into the microphone, apparently attempting to generate enthusiasm from the delegates present. That might be effective at the Time Warner center in Charlotte, but on television, it comes across much differently — as though Democrats think that they’re more believable because they’ve raised their voices. And if the enthusiasm level of convention delegates is a worry for Democrats, then they’re really in trouble.

And it’s not just the vocal levels, either. Margaret Carlson has become the latest on the Left to wonder whether Abortion-Palooza is turning off more people than it’s inspiring:

I hate to bring up abortion during the Democrats’ festivities, which are going so swimmingly, but I have a question.

Why has the party removed the sentence “Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare” from its platform? It was in the 2004 document but not in 2008’s or this year’s. Can’t Democrats just throw a crumb to the many millions who are pro-choice but not pro-abortion?

Last week, Democrats feasted on the extreme positions of Representative Todd Akin of Missouri (and vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, for that matter) during the Republican National Convention. Yet Democrats have gone too far in the other direction, threatening their hold on the great American middle. Speaking Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Republican former House Speaker Newt Gingrich pushed the issue, claiming, “The president of the United States voted three times to protect the right of doctors to kill babies who came out of an abortion still alive” and arguing that the Democratic platform supports “partial-birth abortion.”

Abortion is a more delicate subject than our fierce, partisan arguments would have it. If you scroll backward, an intimate act (a horrible one in cases of rape or incest) occurred and a woman is pregnant. Most people outside partisan bubbles don’t like to talk, much less scream, about such things.

Matt Lewis e-mailed his former AOL colleague Melinda Henneberger, a pro-life liberal, about her take on the convention after the first night:

I have NEVER heard this much about abortion as in that hall last night, even if you throw in every homily of my life. Every other event is sponsored by [Planned Parenthood] or EMILY’s List. Then I moderated a panel for the outnumbered but undaunted pro-life [Democrats], where the panelists were asked by Salon what’s not to love about abortefacients and by Red State how come they like the infanticide president so much. America is evenly divided on this issue, but are ANY swing voters watching speech after convention speech? (Bold mine.)

Why should swing voters tune into it? The agenda clearly doesn’t address them or their priorities. Even if they do flip to C-SPAN to check out the activities, they’re greeted by shouted speeches and an unrelenting focus on an issue that’s not within their priority set for this election at all. If Republicans had employed this kind of tone at their convention, the press reports would have been filled with references to “angry Republicans.”

The entire Democratic convention has become a primal scream on abortion and contraception. Don’t be surprised if swing voters feel repelled by the spectacle. They may be breaking up with more than just Obama by the end of this week.

Breaking on Hot Air

Blowback

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You see, it works like this. You’re going to sit there and snort and chortle and chuckle over the fact that enthusiasm for Obama is low, and that he can’t really fill a 75,000-seat stadium, when your own nominee could only fill the same venue maybe by giving out free beer and pizza? Please.

The latest daily tracking poll found Republican Mitt Romney still clinging to a narrow lead of 45 percent to Obama’s 44 percent among likely voters. Romney had led by 46 percent to 44 percent in Wednesday’s poll.

Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama, delivered an electrifying speech on Tuesday, and those polled for the Thursday poll would have had the chance to have heard her.

Clark said Obama could get a delayed bounce. Romney began his Tampa convention last week behind Obama, 46 percent to 42 percent, before taking a small lead.

“I do think we probably will see a small bump still. Maybe we won’t start seeing it until Friday, Saturday or Sunday. I think it will be very modest,” Clark said.

For Romney, Thursday’s poll was good news. He is holding steady so far despite rampant criticism of him at the convention.

Of all the tracking polls, Reuters/IPSOS is probably the most biased in favor of Barry. Any pro Romney result is buried, and any result that can be exaggerated in favor for Barry is played up.

I’m going to take it as not very much, considering he’s JUST gained access to a huge haul of money, and Sununu’s earlier comments about ‘carpet-bombing’ contradict that (generally speaking, but where else would you unleash a full-on ad war if not battleground states?).

I had a very interesting twitter conversation with a Catholic Democrat on Tuesday night.. He was becoming more and more appalled at the Abortionpalooza… He was on the fence, but seemed to be leaning farther and farther away from the spectacle..

kringeesmom on September 6, 2012 at 2:55 PM

Any catholic who is still on the fence needs to have a long talk with his priest.

When the McCain campaign overruled Palin on Michigan in 2008 (imagine Palin snowmachinging on the trail) I knew we had lost the election. It’s disappointing to hear that Romney has now given up on winning. Just this morning I was happy that we’d only have to deal with Obamao’s miserable mug for 4 more months.

What is it with RINOs and “softer pitches” “civility” and “reasonable tone”. Reagan went out and trashed Carter, fought for conservatism and the country, and won in a landslide. Bold colors not pastels. Because most of the country are conservatives. Now, we have a Marxist-in-chief a thousand times worse than Carter, but we’re supposed to go on and on about how “disappointed” we are that hes “a nice guy”.

You see, it works like this. You’re going to sit there and snort and chortle and chuckle over the fact that enthusiasm for Obama is low, and that he can’t really fill a 75,000-seat stadium, when your own nominee could only fill the same venue maybe by giving out free beer and pizza? Please.

ddrintn on September 6, 2012 at 4:14 PM

You seem it works like this; the first part of your comment is fact; the second part is willful speculation. It may very well be true – but a) we’ll never know, and b) Romney’s team wasn’t narcissistic and stupid enough to book a venue that large to begin with, were they, Captain Strawman?

Great ad that gives people permission to “let him go”. As for PA and Romney pulling ads out…Def. doesn’t mean he has given up on PA. Last time he ran ads here was April. So he really isn’t “pulling” ads. I think they know what they are doing.

The entire Democratic convention has become a primal scream on abortion and contraception. Don’t be surprised if swing voters feel repelled by the spectacle. They may be breaking up with more than just Obama by the end of this week.

Your keyboard to God’s ears! Not that Democrats have any faith in God as they denied Him three times on the floor of the convention hall yesterday. And for any “Pro-God” Democrats- how can you stand with your filthy party and the rat-eared bastard that heads it????

I love that they couldn’t find an actual former Dem and had to go with an actress for the part. Got a kick out of that one, only funny part of the ad actually.

Typhonsentra on September 6, 2012 at 5:46 PM

First off, how do you know how Ms. Inclan got to her current views. How do you know she wasn’t a former Dem. Ronald
Reagan was a former Dem. Hillary Clinton is a former supporter of the GOP. Gov. Susana “damn we’re Republicans” Martinez is a former Dem.

In other words how is past relevant? Obama Girl doesn’t support the rat-eared bastard anymore, would she have been a better choice? And frankly Democrat women are damned ugly. Few would photograph well if they made the jump.

Abortion permitted in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother, for example. This generally polls as the dominant position in the US and was McCain’s official position in 2008.

Even the language in the Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. Wade held that the state’s interest in preserving the life of the fetus increased as the fetus approached viability. Another moderate position might be to allow 1st term abortions, as 50% of fertilized embryos spontaneously abort.

For me, this election isn’t about abortion at all, so I don’t care what either platform says on this matter, revolting as the partial birth abortion on demand at the government expense shtick is. It is telling that the Dems have nothing else to put forward as a reason for voters to support their candidate. Hopefully, they are turning off a lot of moderates/independents with this platform.

Nice bit effective – It’s a shame that the rain from Spain washed away his likeness of what surely would have been the scaled down version of the one they want to place right next to the likeness of Lincoln.

Well, the flip side is the same as that of the Democratic convention back in 2004. The Republicans themselves don’t believe what Mitt Romney is saying … just read the NRO editorial after the GOP convention. It’s all totally fake inauthentic “nudge nudge wink wink” with only one singular focus: “how can we persuade swing voters that Barack Hussein Obama must be defeated?” And it does remind you of the Democratic delusion, that nominating a Vietnam veteran would bring lots of credibility vs. George W. Bush.

On the other side of the aisle, the Dems still like and admire Obama (and Bill Clinton) a lot. Obama reflects their image of what the party stands for, and both liberal intellectuals as well as the dark skinned underclass can identify with him. The GOP has the same favorable set-up with Bush back in 2004. Does anyone feel the same way about Romney now? Is it any wonder Obama’s post convention bounce is bigger than Romney’s non existent one?